Skilled Trades That Allow You to Travel

by Monica Gomez ~

You might think that finding a job that allows you the freedom to travel requires a four-year degree, or even a more advanced education. However, there is good news for those who are interested in working in a hands-on environment. Skilled-trades workers have a number of opportunities to travel for their job. And these jobs often do not require a degree.

Here are just some of the blue-collar jobs that allow you to travel for work.

TIG Welders

The aerospace industry is booming in the United States. In particular, with an annual increase in the number of large commercial airplanes landing at around 3.5%, there is likely an increased need for well-trained TIG welders. Skilled TIG welders may travel from site to site within the industry to work on specific, specialized jobs. The Boeing Company alone has manufacturing plants on five different continents, employing thousands, making everything from light aircraft to the world’s largest rockets.

Last summer, Boeing opened the Vertical Weld Center at the Michoud facility in Louisiana. Different kinds of welders, including TIG welders, began working on the massive pieces of the SLS core rocket stage that will propel humans far beyond the Earth in a 5.5-million-pound, 321-foot-long rocket ship.

While not every TIG welding job promises work on rocket ships, there are plenty of great opportunities for travel in this field.

Pipefitters

Specialty pipefitting and welding careers often require travel, Tulsa Welding School says. Skilled pipefitters are currently in high demand in the oil industry to work on oil pipelines, not only in the USA, but also in other parts of the world. There is a significant demand for pipefitters in the Marcellus Shale region that extends from Virginia to New York, as well as in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Industry growth also reaches into Quebec and Ontario.

Pipefitting is a trade that involves long hours, significant travel and extended periods of time away from home. Because of these aspects of the job, recruitment is no longer limited to the advanced level engineers that used to fill these positions.

Wind Technology

Each year, more and more businesses are turning to wind technology for a more economical and environmentally friendly method of electricity generation. This is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country.

Currently, California, Iowa and Texas lead the United States in wind power generating capacity. However, Washington, Oregon, Indiana and Illinois are substantially increasing their capacity as wind-generating states. According to the American Wind Energy Association, there are approximately 85,000 workers currently employed in the industry. Many of these jobs require frequent travel.

For example, project managers in the wind technology industry are employed by landowners, larger construction companies or energy companies. They generally work as salaried employees or as contract workers. Because of the size and complexity of some wind farms, project managers may manage portions of the construction, such as site clearing, foundation construction, or tower erection. Project managers have duties that require travel between the wind farm sites and their offices, which are often located offsite.

Additionally, wind turbine service technicians, or “wind techs” are required to perform complex repairs, as well as regular maintenance routines that involve climbing and inspecting numerous wind turbines. Since the majority of wind farms are in remote locales, wind turbine service technicians are required to travel frequently. They are often required to be on call for maintenance duties at various sites simultaneously, and to travel to these sites as necessary.

Monica Gomez is a freelance career, skills training, and health writer. She enjoys writing articles that help people live healthier and advance their careers.Photos courtesy of Unsplash under Creative Commons usage.

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3 thoughts on “Skilled Trades That Allow You to Travel”

This is a very insightful article. I work with undecided and exploring undergraduate students who often express a desire to be able to travel with a job but they usually eliminate it as a possibility because it is challenging to think of jobs that allow them to do this. Thanks for the info!

I work with students age 16-24 years old who are going back to school, after graduating or not-completing high school, to learn and gain experience in a technical trade. I found this piece to be very helpful. I was able to offer this information to some students who want to travel but always felt that was an inaccessible option. It was helpful to be able to offer alternative options!

Pipefitters get paid well in many locations. In Minnesota, the median pay is $32/hour, and the growth rate is well above average so, like Monica said, there are expected to be lots of job openings. Here’s more about Pipefitters: http://www.iseek.org/careers/careerDetail?oc=472152.